For

Against

The one thing that would impair anyone's enjoyment of playing and listing to music is hearing damage, and it's frightening how little time it takes for your ears to start ringing if your amp's just a little too loud or your drummer overly zealous.

There's a wide array of ear plugs and defenders available today, but what sets this product apart is it's wholly customisable to the unique shape of your outer ear canal, thus giving extra protection.

Here you have a pair of small pots that contain two samples of a substance that feels a little like rather greasy Blu-Tack and, when combined together, hardens to form a pliable material that can be pressed - gently - into your ears. Wait for 10 minutes to allow it to cure to the consistency of rubber, carefully remove and - voila - a pair of pliable custom earplugs.

In Use

The system has a Noise Reduction Rating of 26 decibels that, on a scale of zero to 34, isn't bad and, as you'd expect, does reduce the amount of sound actually hitting your beleaguered tympana.

As is almost always the case, though, they also siphon off significant chunks of your carefully constructed tone, and if you dabble in vocals, can affect your ability to sing in tune.